Disclaimer: I don't own Thir13en Ghosts. At all.

Slinking silently into the desolate building, Dana held her breath, half expecting the object of her search to attack the moment she stepped into the clearing. After a moment of silence, she opened her eyes. Nothing. Perhaps he's somewhere else. She took a few steps. Nothing. Tentatively, and in an airy voice, she called out:
" Horace?" Silence. By this time the Angry Princess was just that. Angry. Where the hell could he be? Turning on her heel, Dana planned to storm off into the rest of the junkyard in search only to have something catch her ear. It sounded almost like grinding. Like metal and metal being slammed against each other. Dana tilted her head towards the origin of the noise. All the way in the back of the building stood the Juggernaut, in all his glory, standing hunched over a table that seemed to be generating sparks. Stepping closer, Dana snuck around the corner and stalked toward Horace. Although she had planned to get near him with no indication of her being in the area in the first place, fate had a different idea as she unwittingly tripped over a broken nightstand, alerting the giant of her presence. Recovering quickly, Dana brushed herself off and straightened her posture to stare up into his imposing gaze. She felt her throat dry at the realization of how close she was to the other and fought her desperation to flee from the frightening figure.

"Um…"

"What do you want?" Dana had forgotten how booming his voice was and, to her dismay, leapt in surprise. Unconsciously picking at a random laceration on her forearm, the ghost stared at the ground, memorizing the pattern of trash that littered the floor.
"Um. I wanted to talk to you," she could practically smell the burning flesh his glare was causing, if she were still alive that is. "You see, um, remember that offer you made to me. At the house. You know after the explosion and everything?" Glancing up to his eyes, she could see the impatience and irritation woven into them. "Apparently you do. Um-"

" Why are you bringing this up? What do you want?"

"I want to take you up on that offer."

"Why now? After what you did, you still think it's up on the table? Are you stupid or something? Dana clenched her eyes in regret. Regret for the past. Regret for even coming here.

" I'm sorry. I just… You said that I could come over here. You asked me to be here… with you." She swallowed as many tears as she could. She was sorry; she regretted ever lashing out at him… but he has startled her. Scared her almost. How did he expect her to react? "Do you really think sorry is gonna cut it. You hurt me. All I ever tried to do was be nice to you, to make you see that I even existed, but what did you do? You attacked me! Attacked me!-"

"I didn't mean to! You caught me off guard! What did you expect me to do?"

"Not that!" Dana collapsed , letting out pitiful sobs break free into the open air. She was exhausted and somewhat terrified of the prospect of having to spend the rest of eternity alone. "Please… Horace… I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me by myself. I can't take it." Never before had she felt so broken and pathetic than now. All the tension and rage that had built up slowly bled from Horace's body as guilt and sorrow filled him. He didn't have the intention of being alone either but… she had hurt him. She should hurt just as much as he did, right? But now, seeing her curled up form shaking on his workroom floor she him that she was. Slowly, the giant wrapped his arms around her fragile as he awkwardly attempted to console her with a hug. It worked a little bit as extra weight leaned against his chest and the hiccups began to slow. Horace rested his chin on her scalp and tightened his grip on her shoulders, swaying back and forth on the cold ground. He let go when small –compared to him- hands pressed against her chest and shoved with little effort. Wiping her eyes, Dana faced away from the man in front of her, only to have a large finger bring her back to him. Just looking in his blue, glazed eyes, she could see the apology forming. She shook her head, not wanting to hear it. Her black orbs closed and her legs went to stand just as cool lips collided with her own. She couldn't tell which hit first: shock, surprise, or relief. Shutting her eyes, although she didn't remember opening them, she let her weight slowly rest against his broad frame. Every fear, shame, and pain suddenly became feather light as she finally reciprocated. The kiss started out tentative, hesitant, and filled with uncertainty.

Horace had no clue what to do. He had never kissed before, but he had seen it in movies so… But apparently he wasn't doing it right because she wasn't kissing back. A moment passed, even though it seemed like forever, the slender figure touching him began to relax. Pulling away, the Juggernaut watched the princess flutter her eyes open. Hopefully, that apology would be enough. He detached his arms from her shoulders and let them rest on her hips. He had to admit, she was beautiful. The most beautiful, despite the lacerations. He crept in again, slowly, leaving enough time for her to push him away. He feared that reality would crash on her and she would decide against this. Her possible discomfort became his uncertainty and he faltered for a moment. What was he doing? Should he do this? Horace didn't know and regret filled him. What's wrong with me, he thought. Pulling back, he swiftly removed his arms from her and sat next to her awkwardly, looking to the side. He scratched his right elbow as Dana lifted her head from his massive shoulder, where she had laid it after the first kiss. The Angry Princess gazed bewilderedly at Horace, head tilted.

"Did I do something wrong?" She sounded confused but he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze, being too busy mentally cussing himself out.

He shook his head.

"Then why did you-"

"I wasn't thinking alright! I didn't mean to kiss you. I mean, I saw it in a movie so I thought it would work. 'M sorry." His voice slipped away.

"But I liked it," he lifted his head slightly, tilted it to the side but still not looking at her, uttering a 'huh.'

"I liked it. I wanted to do it. I-I wanted to kiss you"

"But… Really?" Stifling a giggle at Horace's dumbfounded expression, she nodded. As proof of her confession, she placed a peck on the corner of his mouth, and then lay on his shoulder again. Wrapping his enormous arms around her and pulled his princess flush to him. They didn't know how long they stayed in that position, just enjoying each other's presence. Their shallow breaths mixed as they cuddled. They didn't know how long they were there for, but in all honesty, they hoped it would be for eternity.

A/N: Fail sappy ending is fail sappy ending. I couldn't find a way to close this that wouldn't be sappy. I did this as I replacement for my story, Two Similar Minds, since I couldn't find a way to link my ideas. Still not happy with this but meh, I felt bad just taking the story off and not doing something for this pairing. Hope it wasn't too bad.

JxL